Rep. Bishop Remarks during USHR Approp. Cmte. FY27 Defense Funding Bill Markup

The U.S. House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee marked up its Fiscal Year 2027 Defense funding bill. The Defense Subcommittee has funding jurisdiction over the U.S. Dept. of Defense as well as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Congressman Bishop is a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. During the full committee markup, he noted some of the bill's positives - including investments in military families, installation maintenance, and the defense industrial base. He highlighted how Georgia's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Fort Benning, Robins Air Force Base, and Marine Logistics Base in Albany whose success are made possible by the servicemembers, civilian workers, and military families at these installations. However, Congressman Bishop expressed grave concern with failures in the bill to provide sufficient oversight and transparency to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent on what Congress is being told and that mission objectives are actually met. He also noted that the lopsided price tag is being ballooned by squeezing other domestic programs and that the bill does not address concerns with regard to the misuse of the National Guard.